Chinese Orange Chicken

About 3 months ago, I posted an oven cooked orange chicken recipe. The email responses to that post was just brilliant. I also had many of my loyal North American readers requesting for the recipe of this popular version of orange chicken, a Chinese take-out favorite. Here, I used dried tangerine peels to achieve the deep orange flavor for this recipe. It tasted so good that I had to do an encore for my kids the next day! :-) Dried tangerine peels are available from any Chinese Medicinal shops. Just look for the better grade ones, if possible. Have fun cooking this great tasting orange chicken!Chinese Orange Chicken(Printable Recipe)

Heat enough oil for deep-frying to 350-400˚F. (Medium to high heat) Add the chicken and deep-fry until it is crisp and golden, about 2 ½ to 3 minutes. (If you are deep-frying in a wok with a relatively small volume of oil, fry the chicken in batches.) Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour the oil into a heatproof container, and clean the wok if necessary.

Return the wok to a high heat with 2-3 Tbsp of the oil. Add the dried chilies and stir-fry briefly until they are fragrant and just changing color (do not burn them). Toss in the ginger, garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds more, then add the tangerine peel and stir-fry until the oil is fragrant.

Add the mixed ingredients for the sauce, stirring as it thickens. Tip in the chicken and stir vigorously to coat it in sauce. Add the scallions and stir a few times, switch off the heat, and serve.

9 comments:

I love the flavors in this recipe. I prefer to cook many Chinese dishes at home because of the fat content I know we get when we order out. I would like to try this recipe without frying the chicken. I might try to saute the chicken with a good sear.